Saturday, September 27, 2008

"Nuts."

KEEP BAILING

Lindsey Graham:

“And this deal that's on the table now is not a very good deal. Twenty percent of the money that should go to retire debt that will be created to solve this problem winds up in a housing organization called ACORN that is an absolute ill-run enterprise, and I can't believe we would take money away from debt retirement to put it in a housing program that doesn't work.”

ACORN is a group of "Community Organizers" that regularly tries to steal elections by submitting massive lists of fraudulent voter registrations.

The only thing ACORN should get from the Federal Government is a RICO indictment from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

But at least we finally know what a Community Organizer does. (If by "community", you mean the community of housepets, foreign nationals, disqualified felons, dead people, imaginary friends and 21st Century Fictional Characters for $700B, Alex.)

UPDATE: "I Graduated from the Joe Biden School of Creative Writing and I Still Don't Know How to Load the Toner in the Copy Machine!"

Speaking of housing issues, here's something making the email rounds:

The Ant and the Grasshopper

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

NEW VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can it be that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Pro-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of professional welfare recipients, career looters and Fannie Mae directors. But I repeat myself.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is later found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be very careful how you vote in 2008

True, dat.

UPPITYUPDATE: The debate went well for our team. Senator McCain demonstrated why he is vastly superior in foreign affairs.

Barry's closing pitch: 'The children of the world hate America and rightfully so. Elect me president.'

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Spy Who Revised and Extended Me, Pt. 2:

“If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me,” Biden said. “Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down, with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are.”

So once again, we bring you Cpl. Cmdr. Joe "Biff Whiff" Biden, Able Charlie Rangel, 7th Cavalry Multiplication Division in "Cash-Raker; The Senator Who Came In From the Cold by Climbing In My Hot-Tub":

The snow was coming down as heavy as Micheal Moore after a Coney Island hot dog competition. I sensed the nervousness of the crew. "Buck up, boys," says I. "This is our only chance to catch bin Laden before the brutal Afghan winter sets in like Barbara Walters on another married black senator. Does everybody have their Miranda Warning index cards with them?"

No one had any, so I gave them each some of the extra copies I had made. I looked over at Gen. Bichslapp. He kept looking at me, and then he would look away, crying. Fear will do that to a man. This wasn't going to be a picnic, so I checked my gear one last time. Survival knife--check. Survival rations--check. Survival tent--check. Second helicopter right behind us with fully-stocked commissary, bar, hot showers and native porters--check.

I leaned in to speak to the General. He looked at me and began to cry again. "Get a grip on yourself, man. Let's get this bird in the air. I've got to catch bin Laden so I can go home and help my friend Barack Obama bring Hope and Change." He was crying harder now. I was scared, too. But I was determined not to let it show on my face the way it was already showing in my pants.

The rotors strained against the sky as we took off. Soon we were plunging down the valley, flying just above the Superhighway of Terror looking for exit 63A that would take us to 1234 Mockingbird Lane, a modest little split-level where bin Laden lives. I wanted to pull over and ask directions but the General wouldn't let us. I was just about to ask if we could stop to use the little boys' room when it hit us.

I don't know if it was a Stinger or an RPG, but we were going down fast, as fast as the Associated Press at an all-night e-mail wiretap orgy. I hugged the floor like Tommy Smothers after a three-day Napa wine tasting. We hit hard, like Bill Maher on a 17-year-old borderline-mental cabana waitress at the Playboy Mansion. Looking up through the dust, all I could make out was a uniformed airman holding the escape hatch open for me...

Bailout Barack

AND THE B.S. BANKERS

I see the Senate Banking Committee is interrogating Sec. Paulson. I can't put my finger on it, but there's someting wrong...oh, yeah; where is Senator Obama? He told the Israelis that this was "his committee". Yet he's nowhere to be seen. Odd.

Maybe he meant that it was 'his committeee' in the sense that he and Chairman Dodd lead the nation in taking donations from Freddie & Fannie. And that the two guys who looted millions and millions from Freddie are his advisors. Maybe that's what he meant.

If a Democratic administration were proposing this plan, Republicans would realize that having Connecticut Democratic senator Chris Dodd (the largest recipient of political funds from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) as chairman of the Banking Committee guarantees that the Obama-Reid-Pelosi-Paulson plan that will emerge will be much worse as legislation than it started out as the Paulson proposal.

If this were a Democratic proposal, Republicans would remember that the Democrats wrote a grotesque housing bailout bill this summer that paid off their left-wing allies with taxpayer money, which despite its price tag of $300 billion has apparently failed as of last week, and could expect even more damage in this bill.

But because this gigantic power shift to Washington and this avalanche of taxpayer money is being proposed by a Republican administration, the normal conservative voices have been silent or confused. ...........

The result [of Sarbanes Oxley] has been in the second quarter of this year, we had zero new public offerings by new companies, and in the third quarter we had one. We used to have thirty or forty every quarter. That's how bad Sarbanes Oxley is weakening this economy.

As a principled conservative it is even more sobering to see the amount of economic power being centralized in Washington with these interventions. Deals are being struck behind closed doors with little or no transparency. Things are happening at the intersection of politics and finance that we, the American people, know nothing about except the potential price tag we will pay. These many new federal responsibilities will politicize finances at giant institutions and will guarantee massive increases in lobbying.

Lobbyists are a consequence of big government not a cause of it. The more money centered in government the more value there will be in hiring a lobbyist. ...It will become more profitable to influence a politician than to invent a product. If the market rejects you or your ideas fail to compete, the help of your lobbyist may be all you need. Your lobbyist may be able to get government to protect you from your own failure. .....What we need is to return to a Reagan-Thatcher policy of economic growth through fundamental reforms. Faced with bad policies in the late 1970s both President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher rejected the political establishment's policies and advocated a bold return to the fundamental principles of a market economy.

It's clear that the National Disgrace Congress will never own up to the fact that they forced these institutions to make bad loans in the first place, in the name of 'fairness'. They will never admit to all the money they took, such as Rangel's 10 million from AIG. They will not admit how they blocked all attempts to reform, including Bush's 2005 attempt. They will not repeal the bad laws they've made such as 'Sarbanes', nor refrain from making more as evidenced by Barney Frank's cowardly voice vote to return to making no down payment loans to broke people.

In other words, while I think Treasury means well, this looks and smells like Business As Usual for the Politician/Industrial Complex.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

It's All About M.E.

I just caught Tommy Smothers on the Emmys congratulating himself for his politics and bravely confronting a room full of people who all agree with him.

It takes courage to throw yourself on a grenade to save your friends, but what Tommy did in that room, well, that takes real courage.

He went on to explain how the Dark Forces called Republicans were silencing him even as he was appearing before millions on international television.

That's like a timeless plotline for these cats, isn't it? Every one of them thinks they're Rosa Parks just because they vote Democrat. Except for Whoopi Goldberg, who thinks she's Harriet Tubbman and going to be enslaved if McCain wins.

Damn, Whoopi; you caught us--the plans weren't supposed to leak out until after the election. Whatever, lady. That would be like me saying Obama is planning to shoot white people. It's venal, disgraceful, dishonest, infantile... and sadly typical.

I did like this Woody Allen quote, given in France:

"It would be a disgrace and a humiliation if Barack Obama does not win."

It would also be a disgrace and a humiliation is someone left their wife to marry their adopted teenage daughter.

The Winner Time

As each school is renamed and the name of a Founder or other great person from our history is removed from its entrance way, we lose a bit of that memory. As our great authors and works of Western culture are replaced with those in line with the message of the drumbeat, we rapidly lose our cultural memory. As each school textbook is rewritten to reflect the new ideas of family and cultural heritage, our children are lost to the forces of the drumbeat as they learn to view America and traditional Western culture as oppressive and imperialistic. And it doesn't take long for there to be only a shell left, the substance of our culture sucked out and destroyed by the cultural Marxists.

That reminded me of a different drumbeat:

"There they now stood, side by side...with arms in their hands, silent & fearless, willing to shed their blood for their rights...John Parker, the strongest and best wrestler in Lexington, had promised never to run from the British troops; and he kept his vow. A wound brought him on his knees. Having discharged his gun, he was preparing to load it again, when he was stabbed by a bayonet, and lay on the post which he took at the morning's drumbeat..."--George Bancroft, founder of the Naval Academy, describing the Battle on Lexington Green, where 70-some Minute Men--ordinary citizens, really--faced 700 British Regulars on Apr. 19, 1775.

Which in turn, reminded me of this post written during Ronald Reagan's passing:

"If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are."

Poignant words from Ronald Reagan, who, due to his medical condition in his twilight years, did indeed forget what he did and who he was. But it's more than gratifying to see millions of Americans who cannot, do not--and will not--forget this great man.

Personal circumstance aside, Reagan was right; he was calling us to national memory in that speech, his Farewell Address. "So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important--why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant."

I share the concerns mentioned in the American Thinker article. But the conclusion seems to me too pessimistic.

If we want to defeat Cultural Marxism, then let's consult someone who has a history of victory over Political Marxism. Surely there must be some lessons to be drawn. And especially during this election season, we need to see a victor in action, and spend some quality Winner Time.

We need to spend a little more time with Ronald Reagan:

My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic. It is this: ‘We Win and They Lose.'

The West won't contain Communism. It will transcend Communism. We will dismiss it as some bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written.

Optimism comes less easily today, not because democracy is less vigorous, but because democracy's enemies have refined their instruments of repression. Yet optimism is in order, because day by day democracy is proving itself to be a not-at-all-fragile flower. From Stettin on the Baltic to Varna on the Black Sea, the regimes planted by totalitarianism have had more than 30 years to establish their legitimacy. But none -- not one regime -- has yet been able to risk free elections. Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.

What I am describing now is a plan and a hope for the long term — the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.

Marxist-Leninist thought is an empty cupboard. Everyone knew it by the 1980s but no one was saying it. I decided to articulate a few of these things.

I believe we shall rise to the challenge. I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man.

Our task now is not to sell a philosophy, but to make the majority of Americans, who already share that philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers them a political home. We are not a cult, we are members of a majority. Let’s act and talk like it.

The Washington Post, Baffled Again

BAFFLED, I SAY!

The Washington Post:

Hiding in Plain Sight--Why is Sarah Palin granting so few interviews?

[...] She sat down for a lengthy discussion with one nonpartisan interviewer, ABC's Charles Gibson, and granted another interview to conservative Sean Hannity of Fox News, as well as a sit-down with People magazine and some interviews with Alaska media.

Well, there you go. There's part of your problem right there--you put a big, whopping lie in your first paragraph. Sean Hannity is indeed a conservative Republican. But Charlie Gibson isn't "non-partisan"--he's a liberal Democrat. The difference is that Hannity is honest about his bias, while Gibson--and you--aren't.

Go watch Gibson's hard-hitting interview with Obama and compare: "Senator--if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" Please.

Why hasn't she granted the fabled Washington Post an interview?

Maybe it's because she's kinda' busy right now.

Maybe it's because you're not the Official Gatekeepers anymore and your oversized egos are in the way.

Maybe it's because two long tv interviews in two weeks is enough.

Or just maybe it's because you people have wiretapped her home and stolen her mail, accused her husband of infidelity, attacked her children, called her a whore, a thief, a liar and an unfit mother. If you could get any drunken Democrat guttersnipe from here to Anchorage to mouth an accusation between bouts of vomiting in an alley, you printed those accusations as facts on your front pages in screaming banner headlines.

You're like some kind of Peeping Tom stalker, standing on a box outside her bathroom window, touching yourselves and mumbling "I know she loves me--why won't she talk to me?"

You're like a bunch of jaded old whoremongers in an old Western; as the calico cathouse curtains flap in the breeze, you look out the window and see a fresh-faced girl get off the noon train, holding her hat against the wind. You're all thinking that in no time at all, you'll have her working in Madame Hillary's DC House of Ill Repute--"Whores Re-Formed While U Wait!"

But I think she's going to have you working for her.

Because of the purity of her purpose and the content of her character, Sarah Palin is a mirror to your faces and a stumbling block to your feet. That's why you look at her and see only your own ugliness reflected back. And that's why everytime you try to lob a grenade at her, you stumble and lose a few more fingers and toes as the bomb goes off at your own feet.

You are the ones 'Hiding In Plain Sight', not Sarah Palin. You are masquerading as impartial public servants, but the charade is over. Americans are finally hip to your game. Cockroaches, meet Kitchen Light.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Lone Rangel

TAUNTING TONTO

And Other Tales From the “I’m Okay, You’re Okay” Corral

Charlie Rangel said Governor Palin is “disabled” when what he really meant was “mentally retarded” or perhaps “stupid”. But who is really stupid–the governor of Alaska or the guy who can’t even remember the word “stupid”?

Rangel: “It’s not ‘spic’ and ‘nigger’ anymore. They say, ‘Let’s cut taxes.’”Since Charlie gave himself his own Personal Tax Cut, is he racist, too?

“Stupid and racist is no way to go through life, son.” ……………….

Paying taxes isn’t patriotic, Sen. Biden. Wanting your country to win its wars is patriotic. And Democrats haven’t really felt that way since about 1968.

If taxes=patriotism, then Obama is promising to cut patriotism for 95% of all Americans.

Will we hear “How dare you question my taxes!”? I think Dr. Johnson said it well: “Taxation is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” ……………..

Q: What’s the difference between the AP and a peeping tom?A: the expense account.

Q: What’s the difference between the AP and other wiretappers, co-conspirators, stalkers and pervs?A: Their mugshots are credited.

Obama wants you to know he’s not for the AIG bailout plan. He also wants you to know he’s not against it. If it fails, he didn’t support it. If it succeeds, he didn’t oppose it. That’s leadership?

Obama also says he’s for “even bolder and more decisive actions”. Bolder than “maybe”? More decisive than “maybe not”?

Butch up, Precious, and take a stand for once.

You stood up when Fannie and Freddie handed you grocery bags full of money–stand up now.*

(*To be fair, this story is 24 hrs.-old, so Precious may have a new position by now. Maybe several.)

Speaking of changing positions, there is some Good News: Barack Obama now supports the massive invasion of a faraway land populated by violent armed fundamentalists. Even if its All About the Oil!(tm), Senator Obama wants to gather intelligence, impose his values on the locals and Win This War by Any Means Necessary!

How Green Was My Bay

AND HOW TRUE BLUE

the American:

"Thank you all very much. It's a great pleasure to be introduced by Governor Sarah Palin -- and I can't wait to introduce her to Washington.

If Governor Palin and I are elected in 46 days, we are not going to waste a moment in changing the way Washington does business. And we're going to start where the need for reform is greatest. In short order, we are going to put an end to the reckless conduct, corruption, and unbridled greed that have caused a crisis on Wall Street.

Here and all across our country, people are wondering what exactly is happening on Wall Street. And with good reason, they want to know how their government will meet the crisis. Clear answers are hard to come by in Washington.

As Senator Obama's leader in Congress memorably put it the other day -- and I quote -- "no one knows what to do." Perhaps given that reaction, it shouldn't surprise us that the Congressional leaders of this do-nothing Congress also said that they weren't going to take action until after the election, claiming that it wasn't their fault. I am hopeful that last night's discussions are a sign they have changed their mind and will take action soon. But any action should be designed to keep people in their homes and safe guard the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system.

There are certainly plenty of places to point fingers, and it may be hard to pinpoint the original event that set it all in motion. But let me give you an educated guess. The financial crisis we're living through today started with the corruption and manipulation of our home mortgage system. At the center of the problem were the lobbyists, politicians, and bureaucrats who succeeded in persuading Congress and the administration to ignore the festering problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

These quasi-public corporations lead our housing system down a path where quick profit was placed before sound finance. They institutionalized a system that rewarded forcing mortgages on people who couldn't afford them, while turning around and selling those bad mortgages to the banks that are now going bankrupt. Using money and influence, they prevented reforms that would have curbed their power and limited their ability to damage our economy. And now, as ever, the American taxpayers are left to pay the price for Washington's failure.

Two years ago, I called for reform of this corruption at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Congress did nothing. The Administration did nothing. Senator Obama did nothing, and actually profited from this system of abuse and scandal. While Fannie and Freddie were working to keep Congress away from their house of cards, Senator Obama was taking their money. He got more, in fact, than any other member of Congress, except for the Democratic chairmen of the committee that oversees them. And while Fannie Mae was betraying the public trust, somehow its former CEO had managed to gain my opponent's trust to the point that Senator Obama actually put him in charge of his vice presidential search.

This CEO, Mr. Johnson, walked off with tens of millions of dollars in salary and bonuses for services rendered to Fannie Mae, even after authorities discovered accounting improprieties that padded his compensation. Another CEO for Fannie Mae, Mr. Raines, has been advising Senator Obama on housing policy. This even after Fannie Mae was found to have committed quote "extensive financial fraud" under his leadership. Like Mr. Johnson, Mr. Raines walked away with tens of millions of dollars.

Senator Obama may be taking their advice and he may be taking their money, but in a McCain-Palin administration, there will be no seat for these people at the policy-making table. They won't even get past the front gate at the White House.

My friends, this is the problem with Washington. People like Senator Obama have been too busy gaming the system and haven't ever done a thing to actually challenge the system.

We've heard a lot of words from Senator Obama over the course of this campaign. But maybe just this once he could spare us the lectures, and admit to his own poor judgment in contributing to these problems. The crisis on Wall Street started in the Washington culture of lobbying and influence peddling, and he was square in the middle of it.

The financial services industry -- and there are many honest and honorable people who work in it -- plays a vital role in our economy. Mutual fund companies help Americans save for retirement. Banks and lending companies provide the mortgages that help us buy our homes. Investment firms supply the seed money that helps entrepreneurs create tomorrow's jobs. Insurance companies protect us against unknown risks.

Yet as the financial crisis continues and bailouts and bankruptcies mount, it's clear financial firms have lost the trust of the American people. That trust cannot be regained unless we adopt some fundamental reforms. Government has a clear responsibility to act and to defend the public interest. That is exactly what I intend to do.

First, to deal with the immediate crisis, I will lead in the creation of the Mortgage and Financial Institutions trust -- the MFI. The underlying principle of the MFI or any approach considered by Congress should be to keep people in their homes and safe guard the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system and capital markets. This trust will work with the private sector and regulators to identify institutions that are weak and fix them before they become insolvent. The MFI is an early intervention program to help financial institutions avoid bankruptcy, expensive bailouts and damage to their customers. This will get the Treasury and other financial regulatory authorities in a proactive position instead of reacting in a crisis mode to one situation after another.

The MFI will restore investor and market confidence, build sound financial institutions, assist troubled institutions and protect our financial system while minimizing taxpayer exposure. This is an important step, but it is not enough. I will also take the additional actions needed to make sure a crisis like this is never allowed to build and break over the American people again.

Second, I will propose and sign into law reforms to prevent financial firms from concealing their bad practices. An inexcusable lack of financial transparency allowed Wall Street firms to engage in reckless behavior that padded their profits and fattened executive bonuses when times were good, but now imperil the financial security of millions of Americans when their bets turned sour.

So much of the damage to our economy could have been avoided if these practices had been exposed to the light of day. Americans have a right to know when their jobs, pensions, IRAs, investments, and our whole economy are being put at risk by the recklessness of Wall Street. And under my reforms for the financial sector, that fundamental right will be protected.

Third, we need regulatory clarity. The lack of transparency in our financial markets went unnoticed by the regulatory agencies scattered throughout Washington charged with protecting the common good. We've got the SEC, the FDIC, the CFTC, the SIPC, the OCC, the Fed. At best, this confusing assortment of regulators and institutions was egregiously lax in carrying out their responsibilities. At worst, they engaged in the old Washington game of guarding their bureaucratic turf, instead of safeguarding the public interest and protecting investors.

Many in the financial services industry also either forgot or neglected their duty to act ethically and honorably. This shortcoming was aided and abetted by the creation of financial instruments that allowed lenders to escape any responsibility for the risk of their loans. In the past, lenders had to pay a price if they made a bad loan. Today, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac worked with Wall Street to bundle together all these dicey subprime loans and then pushed them off on investors who didn't have the tools of transparency needed to assess or even understand the risk.

The current system promotes confusion, encourages bureaucratic infighting and creates incentives for financial firms to cut corners. We need to enhance regulatory clarity by holding the same financial activity to one regulatory standard. We don't need a dozen federal agencies doing the job badly -- we need the best federal agencies to do the job right.

Fourth, we must ensure that consumers and investors are protected. Our regulatory system must protect consumers and investors by punishing individuals who engage in fraud, break contracts, or lie to customers -- like the predatory lenders who know you can't afford an adjustable rate mortgage, but mislead you into signing one. These actions are criminal and the people who commit them should be behind bars. And corporate governance rules will be reformed so that shareholders have a clear say in determining the pay of CEOs and other senior executives. On my watch, the consequences for corporate abuse will not be more enrichment, but more likely an indictment.

Fifth, in cases where failing companies seek taxpayer bailouts, the Treasury Department will follow consistent policies in deciding whether to guarantee loans. It must have well developed remedies for a financial crisis. With billions of dollars in public money at stake, it will not do to keep making it up as we go along.

Finally, the Federal Reserve should get back to its core business of responsibly managing our money supply and inflation. It needs to get out of the business of bailouts. The Fed needs to return to protecting the purchasing power of the dollar. A strong dollar will reduce energy and food prices. It will stimulate sustainable economic growth and get this economy moving again.

All of these measures will calm and help us to avoid future panics and disasters in the financial markets. But to get through this tough time for America, and to come out stronger, we need a strategy of economic growth. And the massive new tax burden that my opponent plans for the American economy is exactly the wrong answer. His tax increase -- along with the enormous new federal programs he proposes -- are the surest way to turn a recession into a depression. In every respect, the Obama tax hikes would make things even worse for the working people of this country.

I have proposed, and will sign into law, an economic recovery plan for working Americans that is directed to the middle class. It will grow this economy, create millions of jobs and bring opportunity back to Americans. You will get a tax policy that creates family prosperity and allows you to save for the future. I will not raise your taxes on income or investments. And we will simplify the tax code so people can understand it and do their tax returns themselves.

I will give every family a $5,000 credit to buy their own health insurance policy and let them chose their own doctor. This will make insurance affordable to every American.

I will double the child exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 to help families pay for the rising cost of living.

Under my plan, a married couple with two children making $35,000 will get $5,000 to pay for health insurance and additional medical expenses. This family would get another $1,050 from my child exemption. That adds up to over $6,000. That is a lot more than what any hardworking middle class family, gets under the Obama plan.

Business taxes will be cut from the second highest in the world at 35 percent to 25 percent. Tax incentives will spur investment in new plants and equipment. Research and development incentives will keep companies on the cutting edge of their industries. Healthcare costs will diminish. Companies will stop sending jobs overseas to low-cost, low-tax countries and start creating jobs here in America.

I will expand markets for our goods and services. A one in five of all jobs in this country are linked to world trade. In five states alone Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Colorado over 5 million jobs depend on trade. My economic recovery plan will create millions of jobs in America instead of driving them overseas.

I will adopt an "all of the above" energy policy which expands our use of oil, natural gas, clean coal and nuclear facilities. We will embark on a national mission to build an alternative energy base, creating millions of new jobs. We will create the most diversified energy economy in the world. And, I will return to the American economy the $700 billion dollars we send overseas every year to buy oil.

My opponent offers a very different economic future. He has continuously shifted his position on taxes. At the beginning of this campaign he promised to raise taxes on your savings and investments. He said he won't raise taxes for most people but he has voted 94 times in his short Senate career for tax increases and against tax cuts. He said he would only tax the rich, but he voted this year to raise taxes on those making just $42,000. Senator Obama has simply not given Americans good reason to trust him with your tax dollars.

My opponent is against lowering taxes on businesses which are the second highest in the world. He will impose mandated health insurance on businesses that would cost up to $12,000 per employee. He opposes free trade. He also wants to take away the fundamental right of workers to have a secret ballot when voting to be part of a union.

Now is not the time for these destructive policies that will cripple business growth, destroy jobs and hurt the middle class. Now is the time to take action to address this crisis and take action to put our economy back on a path of growth.

Even though Democratic leaders say they don't know what to do, I believe the deep problems afflicting our financial system won't be solved by one political party. There is only one candidate in this race who has a record of reaching across the aisle to work out the bipartisan solutions needed to move our country forward in times of crisis -- and I will bring that same spirit of bipartisan cooperation to the White House. It took members of both parties to get America into this mess, and it will take all of us, working together, to lead the way out.

The Stumbling Block

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Nancy Pelosi's National Disgrace Congress of 2008

PS: DICK CHENEY WAS RIGHT!

When gas prices began to soar to nearly $5.00 a gallon, this Congress took action: it went on a 5-week vacation--a five-week PAID vacation, that is. It would have almost been worth it to pay $10 a gallon if they would have taken a 10-week vacation. The exception: those unselfish Republicans who stayed in town to talk about solutions while Nancy Pelosi flitted off on Air Force Three to sell her book "Know Your Power Outage".

When Congress got back, what was the first order of business? Naming some post offices. After that, they named some bridges. After all, you can't rush into the peoples' business without stretching or you might pull a porkstring and have to take another month or two off with pay.

Finally, at long last, Congress got down to business and did what they do best: they passed a profoundly unserious and purely symbolic drilling bill which bans drilling. A pure Cover-Your-Ass vote for Democrat congressmen so they could claim they tried to do something about soaring gas prices before re-election time.

The hell with the little guy--we're looking out for Number One! Time for another 5-week paid vacation, Congress--Job Well Done!

This Congress is a National Disgrace. Nancy Pelosi's National Disgrace Congress of 2008.

Harsh? I don't think so.

Take Charlie Rangel. On his 5-week paid vacation, he went to his tax-free Carribbean condo. It's not supposed to be tax-free, it just worked out that way. Charlie is the Ways & Means Chairman, the committee which writes our tax laws. If he can't understand his own tax laws what hope do the rest of us have?

Charlie blames the condo staff because they speak Spanish. But US tax law is written in English. Allegedly.

Joe Biden says paying high taxes is patriotic. I don't think he should question Charlie's patriotism like that.

It turns out that AIG had so much extra money laying around that they gave Charlie 10 million dollars for his "foundation", because they care so deeply about good government. The Good News: surely they don't need that giant bailout if they've got that kind of money to burn!

Will Charlie step down from his chaimanship? Of course not; this is the National Disgrace Congress.

Or take Jack Murtha. He called our Marines in Haditha cold-blooded murderers. They were acquitted--but Murtha will not apologize. This is the same Jack Murtha who earmarks funds for groups in his district, groups that then turn around and contribute much of it back to his campaign. In the business world, that's called "embezzlement" and "money-laundering". But it's just another day in the National Disgrace Congress.

How about William Jefferson? He pulled National Guardsmen away from rescuing people during Katrina so the soldiers could help him rescue the money in his freezer. A man's got to have his priorties, right?

The House doesn't have to wait decades for a verdict. They're chock full o' lawyers--they can give him a fair hearing. Under House rules, they may investigate and unseat common criminals. But they've grown comfortable with common criminals in the National Disgrace Congress.

These are the Democrats who just went to Denver for their convention. They demanded--and got--tax-free city gasoline from the Democrat mayor even though they were on party business, not public business. Why? Because Democrats shouldn't have to suffer from the ill effects of their own anti-energy policies.

These are the Democrats who blocked George Bush from holding Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac to sound business practices in 2005, because it was "mean to poor people".

These are the Democrats who thwarted Dick Cheney's Energy Program seven years ago. Let me be the first to say it; like Dan Quayle on the importance of fathers, DICK CHENEY WAS RIGHT!

He was right about energy policy. If we had listened to Dick Cheney instead of the cactus-huggers in Congress, gasoline would now be about $2 a gallon.

Instead, for his trouble, Congressional Democrats demanded he be investigated, even claiming the right to break into his office and rummage around in his desk.

The National Disgrace Congress is not a Do-Nothing Congress. They pose. But that's all they do.

Irony of ironies--because they took such a long paid vacation already, they ran out of time to address the recent financial events. Good--it was their meddling that caused these meltdowns in the first place. We're lucky they're leaving town again. Lucky.

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish. They are our shame and our disgrace.Nancy Pelosi's National Disgrace Congress of 2008.

No Phony Drilling Bill!

HOAX JOKE CHOKES FOLKS

Congress Votes To Raise Your Power Bill

This bill isn't about drilling for oil--it's about drilling for votes.

Its aim is not to provide you with less-expensive fuel--it is designed to give cover to politicians who, in fact, want you to pay more. It lets them claim to have voted for more drilling, when it actually bans most drilling.

And worse, for the first time the Feds would force your power company to use a certain percentage wind and solar. That's great--except it's very, very expensive. It's like saying "We want you to drive less, so after you drive 9 miles, get out of your car and call a taxi to take you the tenth mile." And do this every 10 miles.

We're in challenging economic times. And Congress' first impulse? Protect themseives, cave in to Enviro-extremists, raise power bills for working Americans while only pretending to address gasoline costs.

"How to Steal an Election" by Gov. Brian Schweitzer

"Then they [the Tribal Police] said to them [the election observers], 'People matching your description have been reported as having stolen a pickup about 30 miles (away). We only have one jail here and we don't have a phone here, and we've already got 11 people in the jail. Sometimes it takes two or three days to work these things out. So you either come with us in the back seat of our car or you can both get in the front seat of your car and we'll lead you off the reservation, and if we never see you again, you won't go to jail.' We didn't lose one single vote there."

I'll bet you didn't.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer bragged about election fraud to a group of lawyers. When he got caught he said:

"It was just a colorful way of saying you can't have anyone intimidated."

It's colorful alright, Gov. Brownshirt.

In the Bizarro World of Brian Schweitzer, observing an election is "intimidation"--and false arrest and kidnapping by police are just good government practices!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Al Sharpton Was a Community Organizer

RONALD REAGAN WAS A GOVERNOR

Pontius Pilate voted "present". And like the disciples, the Palins are fisherman.

After Sen. Obama insisted on calling Sarah Palin a mayor and refused to acknowledge that she is a sitting governor, I thought it was fair game to tease His Humorlessness about being a community organizer.

But there's something that bothers me about the whole "Jesus was a..."-response from the Obama camp. (Warning: This blogpost contains strong religious content which may not be suitable for all readers and may cause liberals to say foolish things like "Exact words." Viewer discretion advised.) C.S. Lewis:

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher."

Or a community organizer.

I think we should take Him at His word. I guess you could say that Jesus was a maverick who loves His special needs kids--namely, us. But it's truest of all to say He is who He says He is.

Anyway, for the last 40 years, liberals have accused conservatives of trying to hijack God for political purposes--while at the same time, asserting that Jesus was a gay, homeless, Palestinian, radical, anarchist, environmentalist, communist, vegetarian peacenik. And now Community Organizer.

I don't think so.

But Tony Rezko is an Assyrian.And Barack Obama is a complex messiah with a Messiah Complex.

And big ears.

ps: Barack--Tony called and asked that since you already have his lawnmower, would you mind cutting the grass next door for the next 5 to 10 years? Because a well-kept lawn makes a community look, you know, organized. It's okay--don't thank me.

I Fear they Have Awakened

A SLEEPING GIANT

and filled him with a terrible resolve. His name?

Lileks:

"John Doyle, the cleverest critic in Canada, comes right out and calls Palin an Alaska hillbilly."

“Cleverist” is a matter of opinion, but I’d suggest that when Mark Steyn gets a haircut, the shorn pieces fall to the floor and form, at random, cleverer observations in the form of Chinese characters.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

"To Sir With Love--The 20/20 Interviews"

WITH CHARLIE GIBSON, SARAH PALIN AND BARACK OBAMA

Charlie Gibson: "First of all, I think we can all agree that Wasilla Machine Politics are endlessly, ENDLESSLY fascinating while Chicago Machine politics are BOR-ing! Move along, folks--nuthin' to see there! Now that we've settled that, let me ask you this, Gov. Palin;

Governor, please calculate the apogee and perigee of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missle in flight. You may not use a calculator and please show all work. You have 30 seconds.

Gibson: "No, Mr. sir. It's me, Charlie. But I am honored, sir, that you would call me by first name, even if it was the wrong name."

Obama: "Stop it--you're scaring me."

Gibson: "Yes, sir. I am just so proud that we are on a first-name basis..."

Obama: "We're not on a first-name basis."

Gibson: "No, sir, we're not, sir. And it was foolish of me to say so. Now, Councilwoman Palin, please name the Foreign Minister of Mali, the Finance Minister of Laurelstan and the Deputy-Undersecretary to the Chief Assistant to the Exchequer of the Chancellor in New South Wales. Do it now."

Obama: "I don't know how all my Muslim half-brothers and sisters in Africa live on a dollar a month--I couldn't do it. Thank God the hospital tripled Michelle's salary when I became a senator..."

Gibson: "That's enough! Stop the cameras! Tune in next week when we examine "Stinky Business: Sewer Bonds in Wasilla--Merely Criminal or a Treasonous Threat to the Republic?" For 20/20, I'm Charlie Gibson; Goodnight!"

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Snitch, you Sneeches!

DROP A DIME, SLIME!

Have you noticed how Johnny Quest and Hadji keep telling us they know Osama bin Laden's home address?

Biden:

"[What about] the Superhighway of Terror between Pakistan and Afghanistan where my helicopter was forced* down...John McCain wants to know where Bin Ladin and the Gates of Hell are? I can tell him where. That's where Al Qaida is. That's where Bin Ladin is. It's not in the country of Iraq."

Obama:

"John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives."

Since the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the Man from U.R.K.E.L. have bin Laden's street address, isn't it incumbent on them--especially on this day--to give that information to the real authorities?

C'mon, heroes; give Homeland a call. You can even remain anonymous--if it's possible to be any more anonymous than you've already been in this fight.

*By the way, Sen. Mitty's helicopter was "forced" down--by bad weather. Because he and John Kerry had insisted on going up in very marginal conditions in the first place, thus demonstrating their mad command skilz.

UPDATE: For Your Eyes Only: The Spy Who Revised and Extended Me

"His Middle Name is "Danger"--and his Running Mate's Middle Name is--well, We're Not Allowed to Talk about That!"

Here's an excerpt from the newest book in the "Senators At War: The Delaware Destroyer" series, written by Lt. Sgt. Joe "Chesty Hairplug" Biden, Vector Victor Victoria, 101st Platoon Balloon Brigade. It's entitled "The Hunt for Reds in Dover: Black Hair Down":

With my cocked .45 in one hand and my loaded New York Times in the other, I made my way to the cockpit. I knocked on the door. Nothing. So I kicked it open. Judging from the gash on his forehead, the pilot was unconscious from where the door had hit him. Poor bastard. How was I supposed to know he was coming to open the door?

Settling into his seat, I pulled the stick back hard, hoping to gain some altitude. No such luck. Visibility was slipping away now, and the night was almost as thick an IRS addendum on the depreciation allowance tables for solar and renewable energy credits.

I wondered if she would be waiting for me when this mission was over. I wondered if I should turn on the little "No Smoking" signs. I wondered 'Ya know, why do we even have those signs--smoking has been totally banned for 20 years?"--and then I realized "Hey-I don't have to decide--that's above my pay grade!"

With darkness closing in on me like Bill Clinton's Arkansas state troopers around a frightened cocktail waitress, I jerked the stick to starboard in a desperate attempt to get the craft to respond. Nothing. I jerked the stick back to port; still nothing. And then it hit me; "Hey--I don't even know the difference between starboard and port!"

Suddenly, I sensed danger. It was the same feeling I got once when I was served in a Vietnamese restaurant. The tingle of danger reminded me of the hot, burning truth: "Hey; I'm missing "Hardball"!"

That's when I heard the footsteps. I checked my .45. It was still cold, so I finished drinking it. The enemy was nearly here. I grabbed my parachute as the voices got closer...

"Amtrak security, Senator--what are you doing in engineer's cab, sir?"

The Proof

AND THE VERDICT OF HISTORY

Hurricane Gustav was bearing down on America's coast. In gleeful anticipation of the political advantage to be wrung from the carnage, some prominent Democrats proclaimed it "proof that there is a God in heaven."

I believe that Jesus is that proof. But how about proof that God answers prayer? Well, the hurricane was relatively mild. And on this day especially, we can't help but notice that there have been no further successful attacks on America in seven years.

Unlike me (heh), sometimes Ann Coulter is over the top. But today, she just nails it:

A year after the 9/11 attack, The New York Times' Frank Rich was carping about Bush's national security plans, saying we could judge Bush's war on terror by whether there was a major al-Qaida attack in 2003, which -- according to Rich -- would have been on al-Qaida's normal schedule.

Rich wrote: "Since major al-Qaida attacks are planned well in advance and have historically been separated by intervals of 12 to 24 months, we will find out how much we've been distracted soon enough." ("Never Forget What?" New York Times, Sept. 14, 2002.)

There wasn't a major al-Qaida attack in 2003. Nor in 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007. Manifestly, liberals thought there would be: They announced a standard of success that they expected Bush to fail.

As Bush has said, we have to be right 100 percent of the time, the terrorists only have to be right one time. Bush has been right 100 percent of the time for seven years -- so much so that Americans have completely forgotten about the threat of Islamic terrorism.

For his thanks, President Bush has been the target of almost unimaginable calumnies -- the sort of invective liberals usually reserve for seniors who don't separate their recyclables properly. Compared to liberals' anger at Bush, there has always been something vaguely impersonal about their "anger" toward the terrorists.

By my count, roughly one in four books in print in the world at this very moment have the words "Bush" and "Lie" in their title. Barnes & Noble has been forced to add an "I Hate Bush" section. I don't believe there are as many anti-Hitler books.

"Hello? Is this the Paris Hilton? No, I know you're not Paris Hilton. I mean, is this the Hilton in Paris?--Nevermind. Look, I'd like a room for myself and Barack Obama. Other guests? Why, yes--the Entire Population of the World will be staying with us as well. What's that? Sure--the Bridal Suite will be purr-fect! And could you send up some champagne with six billion glasses? And some extra pillows?"

Here in the States, we've got "Sex in the City". In Europe, they've evidently progressed to "Sex With an Entire Planet". Used to, it was "Earth Girls Are Easy!"; now it's "The Entire Earth Is Easy!"

Except that it's not really an entire planet. It's not even an entire continent--when they say "the World", they really mean "Europe"--and it's really not even all of Europe. That is just a debater's trick which is used by Democrats here as well.

For example, there are sizable minorities and sometimes majorities in Europe that are often pro-US, anti-EU, pro-death penalty, pro-life and against the Islamization of Europe.

For America to make a decision as grave as this one - while the planet boils and with the US fighting two wars - on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, "historical decline".

'Historical decline'? Decline, thy name is Europe.

Mr. Freedland has obviously never asked himself "Why?" Why does it matter to Europe who we elect? It matters because the US is the world's leading nation. And why is the US the leader of the world? Because we took the best of Europe, and discarded the rest.

We chose the glory of Jerusalem, our Judeo-Christian heritage. We took Athenian democracy and Roman republicanism. We chose the Rule of Law, the Rational Enquiry of the Enlightenment, the free market capitalism of Dutch traders and the Scottish thinkers which rewards innovation and achievement. We wrote an enduring yet flexible Constitution that respects the individual. We took the English example of a confident and muscular military that patrolled the seas to the benefit of all.

In other words, we've chosen everything Europe seems hell-bent on running away from. Freedland wants us to abandon the dynamism of America for the Overweening Weenie-ism of Europe. In a way, it's understandable.

In the last hundred years, Europe has been whipsawed by all the "isms": the feudalism of the Russian peasant, the Caesarism of the Kaiser, Marx's International Socialism, Hitler's National Socialism, atheism and now multi-culturalism.

It "ism" any wonder that they just want to pull the Nanny-State covers over their head and hide.

But Americans don't hide from history. You either make history or you are made by history--and whoever we choose in this election, America made that choice long ago.

Of course I know that even to mention Obama's support around the world is to hurt him.

Go ahead--he can take it.

Incredibly, that large Berlin crowd damaged Obama at home, branding him the "candidate of Europe" and making him seem less of a patriotic American.

"Seem"?

But what does that say about today's America, that the world's esteem is now unwanted?

That you are unworthy? That you don't speak for "the World", you meglomaniac? That 'world esteem' is like self-esteem--a 'steeming pantload? That Obama's epic "Ich bin ein Community Organizer"-speech failed epically?

If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us - and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.

And you shall respond in the customary manner: The Strongly-Worded Letter!

Under Mr. Freedland's rules, Europe gets to pick its leaders...and ours, too! Why, he's almost like a Karl Rove, roaming the globe, and imposing regime change on unwilling, faraway countries!

It was thoughtful of you to deliver Europe's non-negotiable demands, but we let Europe pick our leaders once, Mr. Freedland. We got tired of that back in 1776.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Laughter is the Best Re-imported Prescription Drug

WE'LL BE HERE ALL WEEK, FOLKS

Q: What do the Wilson Sisters call Joe Biden and Barack Obama?A: The same thing we do: "Dog and Butterfly"

Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews (a.k.a. " 'Mann & Man-Crush") were fired from their "objective" news gig after the spectacle they made of themselves at the conventions. I wonder if Chris felt the thrill go back down his leg?

They were about as disinterested as Bill Clinton at the Playboy Mansion. They were about as objective as a steer at a soyburger factory. I, for one, and Karl Rove for another, insist that they be given their jobs back immediately!

"Two social workers were walking down the street, when they heard moans and groans coming from an alley. When they walked into the alley, they found a crime victim, beaten and bloody. One social worker turns to the other and said "You know, whoever did this really needs our help."

And now the new, updated 2008 version:

"Two social workers were walking down the street, when they heard moans and groans coming from an alley. When they walked into the alley, they found a crime victim, beaten and bloody. One social worker turns to the other and said "You know, whoever did this really needs our help."

So they organized the community and then ran for president."

Gov. Palin has gotten under Obama's thin skin. And Barack fights like a girl. You almost want to say "C'mon, Doris--hit her with your purse!"

Q: What's the difference between Barack Obama and a Hockey Mom?A: I don't know, but it's not the lipstick.

The Least

CALLER: And I wanted to share a story with you. A week ago last Saturday we went to the Palin-McCain rally in Washington, Pennsylvania, was the day after he announced her, and we have a five-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, and we made a sign that said: "We Love Kids with Down Syndrome." So when they pulled in in their bus the sign did catch their, McCain and Palin and the rest of their family, it caught their eye, we could tell, they gave us a thumbs-up from the bus, so we were all excited just by that --

RUSH: Wait, wait, wait. Who gave you the thumbs up, McCain and Palin?

CALLER: McCain, Palin, Cindy McCain, we could see them from the bus. We were in a position where we had eye contact with them --

RUSH: Oh, cool!

CALLER: My wife was holding our daughter.

RUSH: Very, very, very cool.

CALLER: It was really cool, Rush. I was like, "Wow, that's awesome," because I love Governor Palin and so I thought that's really neat. So then we moved around as the bus was getting ready to pull out, we kind of positioned ourselves so we could just wave them on and a Secret Service agent came up to us and said, "Hey, can you come with us?" I was like, "Do we have a choice?"

RUSH: (laughing) You shouldn't have worried. It's not the Clinton administration.

CALLER: Right. So we accompanied them up the hill, we went right to the bus, where it was, and Governor Palin, Senator McCain, Cindy, Todd Palin, they're all standing there. We're in this inner circle with just us and them, and the Secret Service agent, and they came right up to us and thanked us for coming out, said they loved our sign, and Governor Palin immediately said, "May I hold your daughter?" and our daughter Chloe, who's five, went right to her, and I have some pictures I'd love to send you maybe when I'm done here, but Governor Palin was hugging Chloe, and then her little daughter brought their baby Trig who has Down syndrome from the bus, he was napping, and Chloe went right over and kissed him on the cheek, and my son Nolan who's nine, he thanked her.

RUSH: This is amazing.

CALLER: I will send you all the stuff, Senator McCain was talking to my son, and we thanked him for his service, and he asked my son if he wanted to see the bus, and we were hanging out and it was very surreal. I felt like we could have had a pizza and a beer with them, they were so warm. ... my main thing is they are warm, kind, genuine people, and they represent the best of this country. ...

RUSH: ...You're doing the Lord's work.

CALLER: Well, we're very blessed and I want people to know what a blessing it is to have a child with Down syndrome. These kids, they're angels.

RUSH: That's the thing. There's always good to be found in everything that happens. It may be a while before it reveals itself.

CALLER: Absolutely right, and when she hugged my daughter I said, here's the difference, this candidate embraces life and all its limitless possibilities.

The Dem Vinci Code

Taking a shot at certain parent, Joe Biden asked why some Republicans don't support stem cell research if they want to help special needs children. His priest could explain it to him.

It is because an embryo is a beginning life and even when the goal is noble, that doesn't mean anything goes. If we found that eating human flesh cured disease, we would still have to oppose cannibalism.

But what struck me was how purposefully confusing his language was. Conservatives oppose only EMBRYONIC stem cell research, not all the other kinds of stem cell research. Biden hope to paint conservatives as anti-science and blur the distictions to ensure that embryonic research sneaks in with the others.

Conservatives are always accused of "speaking in code", but liberals have an entire Bletchley Park-full of secret language themselves.

They say "I'll end this war!" when they mean "I'll lose this war."They say "investments" when they mean "new spending"--for which they'll tax your actual investments!They say just "immigration", thus conflating controlled legal immigration with uncontrolled illegal immigration.They say "gun violence", lumping a homeowner's defensive use of a gun in with the home invader's agressive use of a gun.They say "human rights" when they mean mandatory Queer Theory classes, beginning in kindergarten.They say "choice" when they mean Premeditated Parenthood.They say "fascist" when they mean 'someone I don't like'.They say "Climate Denier" rather than 'skeptic', trying to leech moral stature off the Holocaust. Funny, I thought a "chilling wind" was permanently blowing across America--but it was just liberals trying to silence the Warming Debate.They say "affirmative action" when they mean "It's our turn to discriminate."They say "Fainess Doctrine" rather than "Hush Rush", because if the Feds could do fairness, NPR would be the fairest of all.They say "the moral legitimacy of the UN" (without choking!) when they mean disempowering the individual American.They say "women, children and their families," when they mean not families but 'men'. Once you've said 'women and children', men are all that's left. I think.

And they say 'Democrat' means someone who believes in 'one Man, one Vote'...but it doesn't say anything about housepets, foreign nationals or Imaginary Friends!

What About Bob?

Al Hunt, who has become a close friend, though we disagree about almost everything, says it will be very difficult for me to inveigh against Duke [basketball] in the future. I do believe he is correct. Al and his wife, Judy Woodruff, have been staunch pillars of support during this ordeal and helped arrange our living accommodations at Duke.

I am now at home in Washington, awaiting further therapy. Dr. Friedman recommended that I try to get back to at least parts of my normal life. He suggested reading, but also that I try to write columns, which is the reason I've composed this piece.

There are mad bloggers who profess to take delight in my distress, but there's no need to pay them attention in the face of such an outpouring of good will for me. I had thought 51 years of rough-and-tumble journalism in Washington made me more enemies than friends, but my recent experience suggests the opposite may be the case.

But Joe and Valerie Wilson, attempting to breathe life into the Valerie Plame "scandal," issued this statement: "We have long argued that responsible adults should take Novak's typewriter away. The time has arrived for them to also take away the keys to his Corvette."

Thanks to my tumor, the Wilsons have achieved half of their desires. I probably never will be able to drive again, and I have sold the Corvette, which I dearly loved. Taking away my typewriter, however, may require modification of the First Amendment.

Support for me and promises of prayers sent for me poured in from all sides, including political figures who had not been happy with my columns. I'm told that President George W. Bush has not liked my criticism, particularly of his Iraq war policy. But the president is a compassionate man, and he telephoned me at 7:24 a.m. on August 15, six minutes before I went into surgery. The conversation lasted only a minute, but his prayerful concern was touching and much appreciated.

POW!

BAM! BIFF!

Cold Fury notes the latest Smear du Jour from "Err, America!", the claim that John McCain cooperated with his captors. Mike writes:

Nobody has come out of Gitmo unable to lift their right arms higher than chest level; McCain came out of his North Vietnamese prison camp in that condition. None of them came out with their teeth broken off at the gumline; McCain did. And now this filthy scum-sucker wants you to believe it was Gitmo detainees who were “tortured” — and McCain was “well-treated.”

Even if he was tortured into cooperating, I don't think anyone would hold it against him--anyone but these power-mad Leftist trash, I mean.

In fact, let me stipulate for the record that John did indeed crack. He caved and cooperated fully. He went over to the other side and freely chose to spew enemy propaganda while in uniform.

By "John", of course, I mean "John Kerry".

They tortured John McCain...and John Kerry was the one who cracked.

But that's what happens when you try to be a war hero in both countries at the same time.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Libya Deal a Bush Triumph

FROM THE HALLS OF POWER IN WASHINGTON

To the Shores of Tripoli

When I first heard about the Libya Deal, especially having new businesses pay reparations for civilians hurt during our 1986 airstrikes, I didn't like it one little bit. My feeling was that since Kadafi caused them to be harmed, let Ghaddaffi pay them reparations--and it still is my feeling.

Ronald Reagan was right to target Qattafi for the murders of our soldiers in a German discoteque. But one of the oldest rules in power politics is this; when you go to kill the king, kill the king". Khdaffy lived on to carry out the Lockerbie bombing just as Reagan left office. For whatever reason, Bush the Elder didn't see fit to attack him, perhaps because of his Arabist advisor, Jim Baker. And Clinton certainly had no interest in confronting anything more dangerous than a suicide blonde with a jealous husband. Gataffi was essentially granted a statute of limitations-pardon.

But because George W. Bush showed the guts to take out Saddam Hussein, Khaddafy suddenly saw the writing on the wall. He disclosed his previously-unknown nuclear program, disarmed, helped us roll up the Khan nuke network and has advised other Arab leaders not to go nuclear. His son also seems reasonably pro-American.

Some have called our reconciliation with Libya a disaster. I understand that. But If we had acheived this result in North Korea, church bells would be ringing throughout the land. Even the Media would hail George Bush as a genius for 2, maybe 3 hours.

"I support my darling black African woman ['Leeza']. I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders."

Uh...okay.

For another thing, it's hard to trust a guy who doesn't even know how to spell his own name.

And while some countries have rogue dictators, Libya has a "rouge" dictator--and he's a little heavy-handed on the mascara and eye-liner, too. Plus, he wears white evening gowns way past Labor Day. You know--just like those provincials do in Alaska!

But, look; we plea-bargain criminals all the time. We even put them in Witness Protection. Why? For a higher purpose.

We left Hirohito on the Japanese throne in 1945, even though he surely deserved to hang. Why did we do it? Not for the Japanese--we did it for our own higher purposes. It sucked, but it was the right thing to do. History has proven it was a success, a smashing success, and virtually no one claims otherwise.

Most of us conservatives are used to the State Department selling us out. We don't like bureaucrats who want to hold hands and buy the world a Coke. We don't like some of the compromises Bush has made with the Bush Doctrine. And frankly, some of us simply don't want to catch any Bush Cooties during an election season.

But mostly, we hate the unavenged deaths of our servicemen in Germany and of the passengers at Lockerbie, and nothing will ever make us like it. Nothing. Ever.

But right or wrong, the moment for retribution passed long ago--unless we had discovered Libya's nuke program on our own, we simply were not going to go after him.

A wahoo I may be, but I know when my country's interests are served. This deal is step forward for my country, for peace, for security and for life. Those are our causes.

President Bush's legacy may well include not just functioning Arab democracies in Asia, but in Africa as well. Once upon a time liberals would have welcomed such a development. But there's no use crying over spilt Kennedys.

This is not a Bush disaster. It is a Bush triumph and we should say so.

I only hope our unavenged countrymen will see our hearts, and from the balconies of Heaven, forgive us.

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Tom Paine

AND THE GREAT PALIN MEDIA PANIC OF '08

"'Tis surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. All nations and ages have been subject to them. Britain has trembled like an ague at the report of a French fleet of flat-bottomed boats; and in the fourteenth [fifteenth] century the whole English army, after ravaging the kingdom of France, was driven back like men petrified with fear; and this brave exploit was performed by a few broken forces collected and headed by a woman, Joan of Arc. Would that heaven might inspire some Jersey maid to spirit up her countrymen, and save her fair fellow sufferers from ravage and ravishment! Yet panics, in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, which might otherwise have lain forever undiscovered. In fact, they have the same effect on secret traitors, which an imaginary apparition would have upon a private murderer. They sift out the hidden thoughts of man, and hold them up in public to the world."

"You must understand printing lies about Republican candidates is OK. It’s called “vetting.” Printing the truth about liberals - that’s called “swift-boating.”"

Those swift-boat sailors were in the boats with John Kerry and knew him. But these plane-loads of pantloads, the reporters now descending on Alaska, know nothing of Gov. Palin. Alaska is a "faraway country of which we know little", and Governor Palin is "the Other".

I, for one, welcome our new Mono-Curious Masters. I'm glad to see them doing at least half their jobs for a change. But when they're through digging up all the dirt they can on Mrs. Palin, and telling me all about potholes in Prudoe Bay, perhaps they could invest in a library card and go investigate Mr. Obama also.

They couldn't even be bothered to get off their blessed assurances, go to the library and check out the Annenberg Files, where Obama worked with Cop-Killer Ayers in his only executive post. And maybe reporters could shed some light on the millions Obama funneled to his Syrian mobster neighbor when Obama was in the Illinois legislature. Sure--it's not as compelling as water-treatment plants in Wasilla, but still...

And one last piece of advice; I think it was the great barber Pink Floyd who said:

David Calling

2 Samuel 22:4, 8-9, 14-16, 18—"I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies…Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven moved and shook, because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth the LORD thundered form heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuke of the LORD…He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me."

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Whittle

"Many conservatives were arguing that it would be better to sit this one out, and let the country go to hell, so that we could send the Republican party a message and re-emerge from the ashes in 2012 with “the next Reagan.” I pointed out that there were two problems with this theory:

First, you may not like the fact that Grandma smokes in bed, and you may indeed want to get her attention. But if that message consists of letting her set the bed, the house and the grandchildren on fire, perhaps there was a better way to “send a message.” Second, it pained me to point out that there was no “next Reagan.” Ronald Reagan was on the political scene for almost two decades before he became President. Who was waiting in the wings to magically fill this role? No one.

Newt Gingrich’s fire-breathing army of young reform Republicans who stormed congress in 1994 grew, in about a decade, into the party of Duke Cunningham, Trent Lott, and the Bridge to Nowhere. I watched this unfold — especially after 2004 — and time and time again, the core conservative values of discipline and responsibility were betrayed, mocked, and ignored. Restraint is not an easy sell in a society this affluent — not compared with the view of government as a bottomless bag of candy. That’s why we’re supposed to be the party of adults.

Power corrupts, and I believe there is no power more intoxicating and corrosive than the ability to spend other people’s money at will. If Newt’s Army could go so far astray, you can bet the country was disillusioned, disappointed, and furious — not just ready for change, but eager for it, even change as ethereal and diffuse as what Senator Obama has been peddling. We lost the Senate and the House in 2006 because of this. We were going to lose the presidency in 2008 for it. And we deserved to lose it.

And so — prior to this week — all we had was a grim determination to vote against a dangerous, socialized vision of the future. We were portrayed — largely accurately — as old, tired, out-of-touch, out of ideas, out of candidates . . . too white, too male, too square. It doesn’t matter how true or false that caricature was. That was the narrative, and there was enough of it that fit.

Democrats For Police Brutality '08!

Ya know, I'm old enough to remember when the rallying cry for libs was "Don't tase me, bro!"

Now it's "Don't tase me, bro--but we don't care if you tase that little kid over there!"

Not if they think they can wring one drop of political advantage from it.

In the short time since Governor Sarah Palin has been introduced to the American people, the color-coded Media Derangement Warning Levels have been dangerously elevated all the way from Golden Boy Obama Worship to Sink the Pink Lady Palin.

In that same short time, Democrats have already tried to ride to power on the backs of a 17 yr.-old girl, her unborn baby, a handicapped infant, his young siblings...and now a 10-yr.-old boy, a victim of police brutality.

Every election, Democrats tell me "It's All About the Children".

At last I know what they mean.

Let me encourage you Democrats to please stay with this Trooper Wooten fellow, by all means. Maybe he's the champion thoroughbred that's gonna drag you over the finish line. When he's not drinking on the job, or filing for divorces or poaching wildlife or making death threats or abusing children, he's a darn good Democrat...and a great dancer.

Friday, September 05, 2008

The More Things Change...

"In the summer of 1940, I was an eight-year-old boy living in a remote little Appalachian valley. Our country was not yet at war, but even we children knew that there were some crazy men across the ocean who would kill us if they could. President Roosevelt, in a speech that summer, told America "all private plans, all private lives, have been in a sense repealed by an overriding public danger."

In 1940 Wendell Wilkie was the Republican nominee. And there is no better example of someone repealing their "private plans" than this good man. He gave Roosevelt the critical support he needed for a peacetime draft, an unpopular idea at the time. And he made it clear that he would rather lose the election than make national security a partisan campaign issue. Shortly before -- Shortly before Wilkie died he told a friend, that if he could write his own epitaph and had to choose between "Here lies a President" or "Here lies one who contributed to saving freedom", he would prefer the latter.

Where are such statesmen today? Where is the bi-partisanship in this country when we need it most? Today at the same time young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrat's manic obsession to bring down our Commander-in-Chief.

What has happened to the Party I've spent my life working in? I can remember when Democrats believed it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny. It was Democratic President Harry Truman who pushed the Red Army out of Iran, who came to the aid of Greece when Communists threatened to overthrow it, who stared down the Soviet blockade of West Berlin by flying in supplies and saving the city.

Time after time in our history, in the face of great danger, Democrats and Republicans worked together to ensure that freedom would not falter. But not today. Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator.

And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators. [...]

Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security. But Americans need to know the facts.

The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40% of the bombs in the first six months of [Operation] Enduring Freedom.

The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq.

The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Khadifi's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra.

The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War.

The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11.

I could go on and on and on: Against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel; against the Aegis air-defense cruiser; against the Strategic Defense Initiative; against the Trident missile -- against, against, against.

This is the man who wants to be the Commander-in-Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces?!

Dis-Conventional Thinking, Pt. 2: The Squeal

**I bet half of Official Washington had to adjust their hearing aids when Gov. Palin told of how she sold the governor’s private jet on E-Bay:

“What did she say, Margaret?…she sold the jet?…and she drives herself to work? I would have sworn she just said she got rid of the governor’s personal chef…are you alright, Margaret??…somebody get some smelling salts for Margaret!”

She didn’t have to do it. It would have never even occured to most politicians. The politicians who bought it already took any heat. She could have kept it without raising an eyebrow. No one expected her to give up these perks.

In fact, Alaska is half the size of the continental United States, and an airplane in Alaska is not out of line. But she saw it as a symbol of PermaGov Aristocracy, the kind we fought in 1776. In those days, John Adams finished his term, got on a horse and rode home by himself. We’re not going back to those days, but its good to know someone still remembers them. This bodes well for true reform.

No one was looking, and she did the right thing anyway–that’s the definition of character.

Andrew Sullivan is pregnant. And he did it the right way–he married his husband first!

This can easily be cleared up. Release the medical records, Andrew.

Except the sonograms. Please, no photos. I’m begging you.

**Oprah has banned Sarah Palin? C’mon, Opie–that’s the Color Yellow.

**In Alaska, Gov. Palin has an approval rating of nearly 90%. The Obama-Biden Democrat Congress has an approval rating of 9%. My public school math skills tell me that Gov. Palin is ahead by a factor of…a lot!

**John McCain has promised to bring our troops home in victory, with honor. Barack Obama has promised only to bring them home. Obama says “I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated. I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

John McCain dreamed that wildest dream, sir--and you were not in it. John McCain anticipated that success. While Barack Obama spoke failure over the attempt and Joe Biden insisted on partitioning Iraq like Berlin after World War II, which would have frozen Iraq into a permanent civil war.

Yes, “the surge has succeeded” as Obama says…and what do we call success in war? A: “Victory”. Yet Obama will not use the word, except in the context of his personal quest to be president.

Wars are either won or lost, not simply “ended”. In this election, you can only vote for someone who will bring our troops home, for both candidates will do so. But only one candidate will bring them home in victory.

The Caribou-ty Queen

“THINGS I WISH I’D WRITTEN”, Pt. 9,285

The Trophy Vice gets her trophy kill. Russ from Winterset:

"She introduced herself, made some good policy points, and managed to land a few rounds on target while she was at it. The only things she didn’t do up there were kill a caribou with a sharp stick, field dress the carcass on stage, prepare a wonderfully tasty pate out of it’s liver for her kids to snack on at the post-speech parties, tan the beast’s hide with a mixture of oak leaves and the caribou’s own brain matter and make a stylish caribou-leather wedding dress for Bristol to wear during her upcoming White House wedding. Other than those minor details, she pretty much covered it for me."

Chicago newspaper headline: “Hockey Mom Shoots; Scores!”

Gerard Baker:

“What’s the difference between Sarah Palin and Barack Obama?”“One is a well turned-out, good-looking, and let’s be honest, pretty sexy piece of eye-candy.”“The other kills her own food.”

Thursday, September 04, 2008

"...Told You So, I Told You So!"

WOW, THAT’S FUN!

Last night, the Godzilla from Wasilla romped and stomped all over the Potemkin Press’ mock Tokyo, smashing every Dishonest Media talking point in sight. And, really, it couldn’t happen to a nicer crowd of time-serving, spoon-fed, phone-it-in one-trick phonies.

I told you we should choose her.I told you the Mommie Dearest Media would come after her.I told you she would acquit herself well.I told you she sweats integrity, competence and poise.

Q: In Alaska, what do they call places like Delaware?A: School Districts.

That said, she brushed right past Joke Biden and took it to The Lion King himself–oh, Sweet Elton In the Morning!

It should not go unmentioned here that Gov. Palin’s obvious decency, coupled with the Brand New Low achieved by the Bottom Feeder-Media, and the odor most foul emanating from The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pantload, has finally caused our Proprieter, one Mike Hendrix, Esq., to go over the edge:

Mike has endorsed (gulp) John McCain! That’s BIG, people!

Welcome to the Cult of the Bone-Headed Flyboy and the Hard-Headed Fly Girl, Mike. You did it for your country, bro.

To: Any Soldier

FROM: THE HEART

Dear Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen,

As you know, we’ve been kinda’ busy arguin’ with one another around here. Funny thing is, you make all that possible. Anyway, we’re just trying to make sure you have a Commander-in-Chief who will be worthy of your respect and your sacrifices.

But we weren’t too busy to notice that you just handed over authority in Anbar Province to your Iraqi counterparts. That is a truly awesome accomplishment.

Legion were those who said it was impossible. They flat-out said you couldn’t do it. Epic Fail? You bet–theirs, not yours. But to be fair, some of them were a little busy running for their party’s nomination.

The way you were able to organize that province was magnificent. Hey–that makes you all “community organizers” and qualifies each of you to be president!

You are our champions…and our heroes. You may hate that word–but it’s true nonetheless. Don’t even bother to argue with us on this one.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Dis-Conventional Thinking

"No longer will I believe ANY so-called "facts" presented to me by the media. They've lied to me so much that I've started to refer to myself as "Elizabeth Edwards" in private moments."--Russ from Winterset

*Since the "Boss-Tweed-For-Change!"-Media won't tell you, I will:

Joe Leiberman's endorsement of the Republican ticket was historic.

Because Bill Clinton and Al Gore chose partnership with Fidel Castro and returned runaway slave Elian Gonzales to his Cuban owner, Al Gore lost hundreds of votes in South Florida that would have made him president.

Had he become president, in all likelihood he would have had two terms, with Joe Lieberman as his vice-president. And Lieberman would have been the presumptive Democrat nominee this year.

But instead of accepting the Democrat Party's nomination for president this year, he was at the Republican Convention, bravely I might add, endorsing John McCain and Sarah Palin. And all because of one thing; Joe Leiberman, an otherwise conventional Democrat, wants his country to win a war, the war on terrorists. And that makes him an outcast and an outlier in his own party.

Amazing. Sad. And Historic.

*But, according to the Breathless Media, evidently not as historic as the fact that Todd Palin was once in the Alaskan Independence Party. Although it's not in the party platform, "some members" may have even advocated secession! OMG!! She may have to call out the Alaska State Guard...on her own husband!!!

Ya' know, "some members" of the Democrat Party advocate Communism, too--so what? These "reporters" can't be roused from their slumber to muck-rake through Obama's Chicago Machine politics...but this, well, this is different!!! And exciting!!! Hacks.

*FredMania..it's Back!!! Fred had me pumping my fists in the air for the first time since...well, since Sarah Palin was announced.

*Since both the McCain and Palin offspring have freely volunteered to serve overseas, will the Left finally end their call for the Bush Twins to be drafted and sent overseas to protect them?

*The story of Lt. George H. W. Bush and the mission over Chichi Jima is well worth knowing, and told well in James Bradley's "Flyboys". If you think a 'war crime' is when a Gitmo detainee's Apricot-Date Swirl is insufficiently chilled, give it a read.

Blaney Matthews, the giant-sized head of security at Warner Brothers, had seen this sort of violent strike before. He advised Reagan and other stars to use the storm drain to get onto the lot safely. Reagan flat-out refused. If he was going to cross the picket line, he was going to cross the picket line, he told Matthews.

Matthews then arranged for buses to shuttle Reagan and a few others through the human gauntlet outside the studio gate. But he offered a bit of advice: Lie down on the floor, or you might get hit by a flying Coke bottle or rock. Again, Reagan refused. Over the next several days, as he went to the studio lot to attend preproduction meetings, a bus would pass through the human throng of violent picketers, with a solitary figure seated upright inside."

Just like Ronnie said:

"The Democrats say that the United States has had its days in the sun, that our nation has passed its zenith. They expect you to tell your children that the American people no longer have the will to cope with their problems, that the future will be one of sacrifice and few opportunities. My fellow citizens, I utterly reject that view. ...I hope that when you're my age you'll be able to say, as I have been able to say: we lived in freedom, we lived lives that were a statement, not an apology."

By contrast, the Democrat Convention whined that our lives are but question marks for which our country owes us an apology.

* I liked the history film spots. They teach youngsters our past. They prove out American Exceptionalism. And history is an antidote to the wild-eyed schemes of liberals. How many times have their cockamamie schemes been tried...and failed? Objects in the rearview mirror sometimes ARE closer than they appear!

"Wait until the big money starts coming in for Murkowski," I said. "Wait until the party machinery goes to work on Palin. They will eat her for lunch."

Murkowski, for his part, expressed a similar view. "If I decide to," he said, "I will run and I will win. It's that simple."

The folly, of course, turned out to be my own (and Murkowski's), as Palin slaughtered the incumbent in the primary--posting a 30 point margin of victory--and went on to win the general (over a former Democratic governor) without seeming to break a sweat. She then quickly fulfilled an implicit campaign promise by slapping down ExxonMobil, BP, and ConocoPhillips in negotiations over a proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline, even though they, too, by all accounts, were well prepared to dine on her tender little frame."